Her Guardian Wolf
by Jasmine Reinier
Summary: She cannot see me, doesn't know I am here. I watch over her, protect her when Shinomori refuses to. I am her guardian wolf...and nothing more. SaitoMisao, threeshot COMPLETE
1. Guardian

"Nunc scio quit sit amor." (Now I know what love is) – Virgil

**Jasmine**: Just a little one-sided Saito/Misao drabble. If you don't like it, don't read it. Tokio's...dead in this. Since it's merely a drabble, I can't exactly explain how, but she is. I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and constructive criticism is welcome with open arms.

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

**Her Guardian Wolf - Chaper One: Guardian**

_Saito's POV_

"Aoshi-sama!"

I watched from the pitch darkness of the alleyway as the itachi-musume ran by, staggering slightly over the puddles and uneven mud of the road while still desperately trying to keep up with Shinomori. The icy bastard didn't stop, didn't even slow down for her; he just kept walking as if she weren't even there. The girl suddenly faltered and fell to her knees, gasping for air. "A-Aoshi-sama…p-please wait…"

Shinomori was gone; Misao looked heartbroken. I coldly gazed upon the form of the shaking weasel and sighed deeply, regretfully…sadly. She deserved more than that ice block, deserved more than what I could ever give her. I reluctantly shifted back into the shadows and waited there, silently watching with glowing amber eyes until she finally left.

Misao's guardian wolf, I was.

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

Strange, I know, but it just had to be written. Ja all!

(Update: Nargh...thanks to those that said that this should be continued, I will if I get ten reviews. I'm working on another Saito/Misao ficcie at the moment and this was ONLY supposed to be a one-shot, but...I COULD change that...I could even lengthen this chappie a lot and make it into a REAL story. Just tell me if that's what you want...)

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"


	2. Unloved

"Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open." – Alexander Graham Bell

**Jasmine**: Okay, I blame you all for this. This fic was ORIGINALLY supposed to be a one-shot. NOW look at what you've made me do! It's going to be like…a THREE-shot thanks to you guys! And when I'm done my OTHER Saito/Misao fic, I'll have to go back to this and turn it into a REAL ficcie…with ACTUAL full-length chappies! Grr…

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

**Her Guardian Wolf - Chapter Two: Unloved**

_Misao's POV_

I slowly trudged along the muddy road with my head bent in sorrow and my hands firmly clenched at my sides, inwardly fighting to keep control of the tears that threatened to overwhelm my entire being. The night was pitch-black and devoid of the hoary full-moon that had glowed brightly in full splendor merely days before; I couldn't see where I was going, but I didn't really care…the sting of rejection was still fresh and nothing else seemed to matter now except my Aoshi-sama.

Shinomori Aoshi, ex-Okashira of the Oniwabanshu, sexy ninja man-meat, and an altogether icy, cold, frigid person, was – and still is – the love of my life. Where would I be without him? Dead, probably…unable to live…

I'd feel like I feel now. Wretched. Unloved. Unwanted.

Just a little girl…nothing more… 

A strange sensation at the very edge of my consciousness immediately caused me to stiffen up in full alert. There was someone lurking behind me and I could feel them near, even though they had sufficiently suppressed their _ki_ enough to make themselves nearly invisible. I'm not a trained shinobi for nothing, after all.

I spun on my heel, kunai instantly at the ready. "Who's there? Show yourself, dammit!" I deemed it foolish yelling into the seemingly empty night air like that, but Jiya always said that it was better to be safe than sorry…

The person – no, man – ambled unhesitatingly from the shadows, blew a stream of smoke into the air, and smirked at me. He didn't try to threaten me with words, didn't try to threaten me with his fists, didn't even _look_ threatening: the bastard just _smirked_!

Sudden acknowledgement triggered me to back up a few steps in surprise. Why was _he_ here, of all places?

"S-Saito…?"

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

There. Hmph. I know it's short, but don't forget what I said earlier…ANYways, if ya'want me to continue, just tell me. REMEMBER…a THREE-SHOT…NO MORE! (Unless, of course…you threaten me, or plead with me, or just plain ASK me for more…) Grr. I crumble too easily, dammit…

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"


	3. Nevermore

"Don't try to fix me, I'm not broken…" - Evanescence ("Hello")

Jasmine: Nargh. I know this is late and I apologize. Homework completely and utterly sucks. In better news, I did well on my Honors English test! (Does a little happy-dance) THANK YOU, HECTOR OF TROY! (Ahem) Right then…here's the last chappie, folks! The responses to your reviews shall be in my bio in about two days, 'kay?

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

**Her Guardian Wolf - Chapter Three: Nevermore**

_Normal POV_

Saito raised an eyebrow at the itachi across from him, his smirk automatically widening at her explosive exclamation. Ah, she was so expressive! He could see every emotion running through those beautiful blue-green eyes of hers: shock, indignation, rage…and sorrow. _Shinomori's fault, of course. I should kill that bastard… _Cursing inaudibly under his breath, the wolf took another step towards her and stated calmly (but not without a slight note of teasing), "Rough night, itachi? Little girls shouldn't be up past their bedtimes."

The ninja instantly bristled at the mocking tone of his voice and tensely crossed her arms to obliterate her desire to hit him over the head with a kecho giri. Saito Hajime was the last person she would have expected to meet up with at this time of night, and for good reason, too! The man was an absolute asshole! As if her problems weren't bad enough! "…What the hell do _you_ want, Saito? I don't have any time to deal with you right now!" She purposely left off the "-san", hoping he'd catch her rudeness as a sign that she wanted to be alone.

"Hn. A bit testy tonight, are we?" No matter, she was cute when she was angry. "And here I merely wanted to know what was wrong with you. I suppose I'll just be going now, if you don't want my help. Sayonara, weasel." Saito casually dropped his cigarette to the ground and crushed it into the dirt, turned away from Misao, and languidly started back down the road, inwardly grinning smugly. _One…two…three…_

Well, she couldn't just let him go like that! Not when the jerk had made her feel so…guilty! _Grr…he's not worth it!_ "…Ano…Saito, hold on," she muttered, not daring to look up at him. She was embarrassed a sufficient amount _already_, thank you very much. "Gomen, I…didn't mean that. You don't _have_ to leave." _Even if I want you to, you jerk! _

_Heh. So predictable._ "Hn. Fine…I'll stay." The wolf slowly turned around, a smirk once more gracing his lips. Now, the real question: would staying with the weasel be a wise thing to do? True, she seemed to hate his guts and wished him bodily harm and true, he enjoyed teasing her to the point of no return, but…_things_ could still happen, couldn't they? After all, Shinomori was nowhere in sight…

Misao's heart sank at that knowing look of his and she angrily wiped at her eyes to dissolve the remaining wetness from them. No good would come from Saito seeing her cry, no good _at all_. Makimachi Misao was not so weak as to allow herself to show tears in front of someone as strong as the wolf, nor would she let Aoshi-sama witness her anguish. Not any longer, never again, absolutely not! She was not a child anymore and crying was a -

Her eyes started to burn and she swore furiously, not caring if Saito heard her or not. No! She couldn't…c-couldn't -

With a small, agonized outcry, the weasel sank to her knees and shamefully buried her face into her palms, the tears returning with a vengeance. The sharp stones of the road dug into her fragile skin, scraping and bleeding, burning and stinging. Mud caked her legs and ninja outfit, staining them a deep, nasty brown. Rain began to fall again in cascading torrents, thoroughly drenching the unfortunates who happened to be outside at that particularly horrendous moment. To Misao, though, the suddenly harsh downpour fit her mood perfectly and she was glad for it. Maybe Saito would leave now? She despised him seeing her act so pitifully…

The wolf, however, had absolutely _zero_ intention of leaving. The normally chipper weasel didn't deserve such torment and he couldn't help but feel pity (yes, _only_ pity, nothing more) towards the poor thing, sobbing her heart out as she was. And the stupid rain wasn't helping any, either. Misao's choice of skimpy clothing didn't offer her much cover from the elements and the thin material was quickly becoming soaked through.

With a soft, resigned sigh, the wolf finished unbuttoning his uniform jacket, fluidly slipped it off, and then stopped to contemplate his next course of action. Well, _whatever_…it wasn't as though things could get any worse than they already were, no matter _what_ he did. Careful not to disturb the quivering weasel, he lithely crept over to her and gently placed his jacket over her shaking shoulders, hoping that the material would offer her more protection from the rain. Then, kneeling down to her level (and successfully covering his pants with mud), he boldly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, whispering quietly into her ear, "…Just let it all out, weasel…don't hold back…"

Misao froze at the contact, unsure of what was going on. Saito _wasn't_…_couldn't_ be…no _way_…

But he _was_. And she was…_allowing_ it? _Embracing_ it, even? Embracing _him_ and not Aoshi-sama?

For, indeed, the itachi's small, slender arms had wound their way around the wolf's midsection and held him fast, not daring to let go for fear of him leaving her there by herself. She needed to be held, craved the feelings that she desired so much from her Aoshi-sama. She could pretend, couldn't she? Just for this one moment…just imagine that it was Aoshi who was grasping her close, holding her so lovingly…

Lovingly…

_Lovingly?_

…From _Saito_?

With a shrill shriek and a flurry of limbs, Misao ferociously shoved the wolf from her and shuffled backwards to get some room between them, slightly afraid of the unfathomable gleam in his amber eyes. His hair had long since come free of its normally perfectly slicked-back appearance and instead fell forward all over his forehead in an abnormal rumple, causing him to look even more animalistic than usual. The black shirt he wore was dripping wet, sodden, and was starting to become cold, but he ignored it and eyed the weasel with barely controlled emotion, for once unsure of whether he should keep quiet and leave or try to explain himself.

Misao could only stare with a deer-in-the-headlights look, however, for she felt completely vulnerable under the scrutiny of such a heated gaze. She clutched his jacket tighter around her shoulders and staggered to her feet, grimacing down at the mud encrusting her legs and obi to avoid meeting his stare, fearful of what she might find deep within his tawny orbs. "…A-ah…I need…I-I need to go…" And with that, the itachi turned and abruptly fled into the pitch-black night, heart pounding wildly in her chest and face flushed with embarrassment, thoughts no longer on her "precious" Aoshi-sama but instead fixed upon a certain wolfish man…

Saito watched her go with slight sadness, but couldn't bring himself to regret his actions, strange and out of character as they were. He idly ran his hand back through his hair and shook his head, chuckling coldly. The weasel had taken his uniform jacket with her, the little moron.

He had to follow her, though…there was no way that he would shirk his self-imposed guardianship of his itachi just because she had pushed him away. It was dangerous for a woman to be outside so late at night and he silently swore to himself that no harm would come to Misao as long as he was still breathing. With a low growl rumbling in his throat, the wolf stood from his kneeling position and effortlessly melted back into the shadows, two glowing amber pinpoints the only indication that he was even there. The weasel would be easy to keep up with, for he knew a shortcut…

Saito Hajime: Makimachi Misao's guardian wolf…and nothing more.

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

Jasmine: (Yawn) Ugh…I don't feel very good…(Sigh) I know Saito is completely out of character, but I don't care at this point in time. The world could end around me and I don't think I'd notice a thing… (Blargh) ANYways…it's over, guys. I can't focus on this ficcie anymore 'cause I need to finish my other Saito/Misao fic, The Difference Between Love And Loathing. …Which…I have yet to update… (Sighs again) I'll start it right now. Ja ne, my lovely reviewers!

"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"


End file.
